Chapter 4 - The Executioner in Emerald
Three men in cheap, wrinkled suits stood up from the mahogany table, pasting eager, desperate smiles onto their faces as they prepared to beg the billionaire CEO for a lifeline.
The man standing in the center of the trio froze.
His eager smile instantly vanished. The color drained from his face so rapidly he looked as though he might pass out. His hands began to shake violently, his leather briefcase slipping from his fingers and hitting the carpet with a dull thud.
It was Daniel.
He looked a decade older. His hairline was receding, deep lines of exhaustion and stress were etched into his face, and his posture was hollow. He stared at me, his eyes wide with a mixture of sheer, unadulterated horror and impossible disbelief.
"Amy?" Daniel choked out, his voice cracking violently in the silent boardroom.
My CFO looked at me, confused. "Do you know each other, Ms. Sterling?"
"We used to," I said smoothly, my voice echoing with an absolute, uncompromising authority. I walked to the head of the table and sat down in the plush leather chair, crossing my legs. I didn't break eye contact with Daniel. "Please. Have a seat."
Daniel practically collapsed into his chair. He couldn't breathe. The realization of what was happening was crushing him in real-time. The anonymous, untouchable billionaire who held the fate of his entire miserable career in her hands was the exact same woman he had publicly humiliated and discarded.
"Daniel," I said, opening the financial dossier on the table. "I see Apex Logistics is carrying twelve million dollars in toxic debt. You are asking Vanguard to absorb your liabilities in exchange for your client list."
Daniel swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead. "Amy, please... I didn't know this was your company. I lost everything. Harrison Global went under. Vanessa left me. I’ve been trying to find you for years to apologize. I’ve been living in a terrible apartment, drowning in debt."
"That sounds like a personal problem, Daniel," I interrupted sharply, the ice in my tone freezing the entire room. "And frankly, I don't care. I am here to discuss the acquisition."
I slid a certified legal document across the table.
"Vanguard is prepared to offer your board three million dollars for your assets," I stated clearly, leaning back in my chair. "However, I have one non-negotiable stipulation before I sign this contract."
"Anything, Ms. Sterling," the lead Apex executive nodded frantically, desperate to save his company. "Name it."
"I want Daniel Harrison terminated," I stated coldly. "Effective immediately. No severance package. No references. I want him escorted out of my building by security before the ink on this contract is dry."
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Daniel gasped, lunging forward to grab the edge of the table. "You can't do this! I need this job! You can't just erase my life!"
"You erased mine without a second thought," I replied, staring directly into the eyes of the coward who had broken my heart. "You looked at me across a ballroom, holding another woman, and you smiled. You thought my patience was a weakness. You thought I would always be there to clean up your messes. Well, Daniel. I am finally cleaning up the trash."
